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Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation DistrictBuncombe County Soil and Water Conservation DistrictBuncombe County Soil and Water Conservation DistrictBuncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District Suite 101, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Asheville, NC 28806Suite 101, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Asheville, NC 28806Suite 101, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Asheville, NC 28806Suite 101, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Asheville, NC 28806

(828) 250(828) 250(828) 250(828) 250----4785 4785 4785 4785 ---- www.buncombecounty.orgwww.buncombecounty.orgwww.buncombecounty.orgwww.buncombecounty.org

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February 2018

Buncombe County, North CarolinaBuncombe County, North CarolinaBuncombe County, North CarolinaBuncombe County, North Carolina

The Buncombe County Friends of Agriculture Breakfast kicks off the beginning of 2018 with a focus on the forest for its upcoming event on Tuesday, February 20th. The Hemlock Restoration Initiative, a program of WNC Communities, seeks to work with a variety of partners and existing programs to restore hemlocks to long-term health throughout North Carolina and ensure that Eastern and Carolina Hemlocks can survive to maturity on public and

private lands. Our speakers include Sara deFosset, Outreach Associate and Margot Wallston, HRI Coordinator - with the Hemlock Restoration Initiative, and they will discuss the ecological importance of hemlocks in Western North Carolina, the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) that is threatening them, what is being done to combat this pest and what landowners can do to manage trees on their properties.

37th ANNUAL TREE SEEDLING & PLANT

SALE

Buncombe SWCD will hold its annual seedling and plant sale on March 1st and 2nd, 2018 at BUNCOMBE

COUNTY SOIL & WATER OFFICE, 49 MOUNT

CARMEL ROAD, ASHEVILLE NC.

DATE & TIMES:

MARCH 1 8:00 AM – 6:00PM**

MARCH 2 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM**

**OR UNTIL WE SELL OUT. Due to high demand, some seedlings/plants may sell out early.

DISTRICT MISSION STATEMENT

The Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District’s mission is to conserve the soil, water, and related natural resources of Buncombe County by providing education, information, technical assistance, and economic incentives to county citizens and by establishing new programs in concert with other appropriate agencies and organizations to meet changing needs.

Seedlings and plants will be available on a first-come,

first-served basis on the days of the sale. No pre-

orders will be taken as in past years.

The following species are available:

All seedlings are bare root and range in height from 18 inches to 48 inches. March is the ideal time of year to plant bare root seedlings. Species such as Persimmon, Elderberry, Bartlett Pear and Plum bear fruits for wildlife. Contact Taira Lance with any questions or requests. (828) 250-4785 or taira.lance@buncombecounty.org

Crowell Farms Project Completed

The SWCD worked with Division of Soil and Water Conservation civil engineers Jeff Young and Sam Bingham to plan and design a closeout plan for two abandoned waste storage ponds at Crowell Farms. The planning process began in 2016, and the project was completed around September 1, 2017. Mike Crowell worked closely with the SWCD staff throughout the process, and removed over 700,000 gallons of liquid and slurry waste and applied it to pasture and hay land at agronomic rates. Mike Shepherd with the Division developed the waste utilization plan for the SWCD. Dalton Buchanan and Bob Dennis assisted with surveying. The dams for both ponds were collapsed back into the pond area and re-vegetated. Drop boxes and two hundred and forty feet of twenty-four inch pipe was installed to carry clean runoff through one of the sites and outlet it

below the old pond site. The North Carolina Foundation for Soil and Water provided a $ 123,975 grant from the Inactive Animal Waste Lagoon Closure Program to help with the costs of the closure. The grant provided a 75% cost share and Crowell Farms paid the remaining 25% costs. The SWCD is very appreciative of the Foundation’s assistance with this important closure.

ASAP's Business of Farming Conference:

February 24

Registration is now open for ASAP's Business of Farming Conference, one of the most popular events in the Asheville area for new and beginning farmers! This year the event will be held on Saturday, February 24th from 8am - 5pm at the Mission Health/ AB Tech Conference Center, located at 16 Fernihurst Dr., Asheville, NC.

Seedlings 18” to 24”

Eastern Redbud $ 2.00/ea.

White Dogwood $ 2.00/ea.

River Birch $ 2.00/ea.

Elderberry $ 2.00/ea.

Persimmon $ 2.00/ea.

Bartlett Pear $ 2.00/ea.

Seedlings 24” to 48”

Gala Apple $ 8.00/ea.

Golden Delicious $ 8.00/ea.

Brown Turkey Fig $ 8.00/ea.

Plants

Blackberry—Thornless Prime Ark

$ 3.00/ea.

Raspberry—Caroline $ 3.00/ea.

Blueberry—Blue Crop $ 6.00/ea.

Blueberry—Duke $ 6.00/ea.

Strawberry-Sweet Charlie

$ 0.50/ea. Or 25/$ 10.00

Strawberry-Winter Dawn

$ 0.50/ea. Or 25/$ 10.00

Strawberry-Festival $ 0.50/ea. Or 25/$ 10.00

At the conference, farmers learn about marketing, business planning, storytelling, and management from regional experts and innovative farmers. ASAP's Business of Farming Conference is open to beginning and established farmers, and those seriously considering farming as a profession. Early bird prices for registration end January 31, and you may register online by visiting: http://asapconnections.org/events/business-of-farming-conference/ Note that this extremely popular conference usually sells out, so don't delay!

Organic Grower's School - March 9-11

Organic Growers School is a non-profit organization providing organic education since 1993. Their mission is to “inspire, educate, and support people in our region to farm, garden, and live organically.” Organic Grower’s School’s Spring conference will be held on March 9-11 at UNCA with regionally specific workshops on organic growing and sustainable living. This is a very popular event for small farmers, gardeners and homesteaders with a wide range of workshop topics to choose from: https://organicgrowersschool.org/19665/class-descriptions-for-spring-conference/

CAMP W ILD

Buncombe County Soil & Water will be a hosting a Youth Environmental Stewardship Camp this summer. Tentative dates are June 18- 22, 2018 for Middle School and July 30-August 3, 2018 for High School. Camp WILD is a 5 day

long summer day camp with one night of camping, focusing on having fun while learning in the WILD outdoors! We explore some of the local sights and attractions of WNC while learning about how to conserve, protect, respect and enjoy the wilderness! Camp Wild is open to current Envirothon students and remaining slots will be determined on an application process of current 6th - 12th grade students. The cost for the camp will be a non-refundable $ 30.00 deposit thanks to a generous Envirothon Grant from The Pigeon River Fund. Below is a tentative schedule:

Monday, -- Soil Science 8:00 –Buncombe SWCD- Orientation

9:00 –Biltmore Estate

9:30 -11:30 – West Side (Greenhouses, Hydroponics, Biodiesel 11:30 - 1:00 – Lunch BRING YOUR OWN

1:00 – 3:00 – Forestry & Soils on the Estate/Explore 3:15 – 4:15 – Farm & Barnyard Activities 5:00 – Parents pick up at Buncombe SWCD

Tuesday, –Aquatics **change of clothes, shoes & towel 8:00 – Buncombe SWCD

9:00 – Sliding Rock

12:00 – Lunch: BRING YOUR OWN

1:00 – Pink Beds Picnic & Explore Wetlands (mountain bog) 1:30 – 3:45 – Aquatics & Fish Hatchery

5:00 – Parents pick up at Buncombe SWCD

Wednesday, – Forestry

8:00 – Buncombe SWCD

9:30 – Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Ctr. (Purchase Knob): Amphibian research & hike

*Rangers advise wearing long pants and closed-toe

shoes (no sandals or flip flops)

12:00 – Lunch at Purchase Knob – BRING YOUR OWN

1:30 – 4:00 – Juke Box Junction –Snorkeling & Recycling Game & Ice Cream Bring river clothes

5:00 - Parents pick up at Buncombe SWCD

District Board Members

JEFF FOSTER Chair ELISE ISRAEL Vice-Chair DAVID SNELSON Secretary WILLIAM HAMILTON Treasurer LOUISE SCRUGGS Member

District and NRCS Staff

GARY HIGGINS District Director TAIRA LANCE Environmental Educator ANTHONY DOWDLE NCACSP Soil Conservationist ARIEL ZIJP Soil Conservationist/Farmland Pres. JESSICA HUGHES Administrative Assistant JOHN OTTINGER, EMILY POLMAN, JOHN GEORGE NRCS Soil Conservationists

Thursday, – Aquatics & Wildlife

8:00 – Buncombe SWCD

10:00 – Geocaching The Old Ray Mica Mine/Gem Mining

12:00 - Lunch provided

1:30 – Carolina Hemlock Overnight Camping – Set Up Camp

3:00 – Corn Hole, Horse Shoe, River Games

6:00 – Dinner provided – Hot Dogs and Hamburgers

8:00 - Campfire & Outdoor Movie

Friday, - Water * Extra socks & shoes recommended

8:00 – Breakfast – Sausage, Bacon, Eggs & Pancakes 9:00 – Nature Hike

11:00 – Tubing @ Carolina Hemlock – Lunch provided

3:00 – Travel Home

5:00 - Parents pick up at Buncombe SWCD

For more information please contact Taira Lance, Environmental Educator @ (828) 250-4787 or email at taira.lance@buncombecounty.org .

DISTRICT EQUIPMENT FOR RENT

Seed Drills- The Truax FlexII seed drills features double disc furrow openers and depth bands to optimize seed placement and seed to soil contact. It has multiple seed boxes allowing it to seed native fluffy seeds, cool season species, small grains, legumes, and wildflowers. Planting can be accomplished as no-till and inter-seeding in most conditions. The District

has two of these drills for rental. Seed drills provided through a grant from the N. C. Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation.

Weed Wiper- The weed wiper can be used to control invasive weeds and small brushy growth in hay and pasture fields, resulting in better stands of grass and higher productivity. The wiper can be towed to the farm using a pickup or SUV then attached to a tractor or ATV for use in the field. The wiper is 12 feet wide.

Post Driver- The post driver can be used to improve existing fencing, expand pastures, and add cross fencing for rotations and will reduce labor costs and improve profitability. The unit is capable of driving up to eight inch diameter posts and will have a pilot auger to use in adverse ground conditions.

The weed wiper and post driver were provided through a TVA Ag. & Forestry Fund grant.

SYCAMORE VALLEY FARMSYCAMORE VALLEY FARMSYCAMORE VALLEY FARMSYCAMORE VALLEY FARM

Farm Fresh Produce 2555 New Leicester Hwy. Amish Goods Leicester, NC 28748 Seasonal Items

MCINTYRE FARMS

WOODMIZER SAWMILLING, NURSERY STOCK

CUSTOM WOODWORKING

TRACTOR & BACKHOE WORK

Swannanoa, NC 28778 email: vlmcintyre1@bellsouth.net